"Following new CDC guidelines, Governor Ned Lamont says fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks indoors starting Wednesday. Exceptions to that rule include schools, congregate care settings and public transit. Private businesses can implement their own policies on whether workers and customers need to work masks inside.
…
So—How will businesses know if you’re fully vaccinated?
It will all be based on the honor system. You’ll have to decide for yourself if you have faith in your neighbor."
Seems like people are more likely to vilify the “cheaters” (unvaccinated unmasked in public indoor situations, etc.). How would you suggest that retail stores tell the difference between vaccinated unmasked (no COVID-19 threat) and unvaccinated unmasked (still could be a COVID-19 threat)?
i am so confused and this is similar to double negatives to me (they’ve never been not confusing!)
we lose our mask mandate in one week.
If i saw someone wearing a mask, i’d assume that person wasn’t vaccinated and not read any more into it. maybe that’s why others are yelling at those wearing masks - they are angry that they aren’t vaccinated. ???
If it has been six or more weeks since easy availability of vaccines in your area, then the only people who need to be worried are those medically unable to get vaccinated and who want to avoid getting COVID-19. Everyone else will be vaccinated or voluntarily unvaccinated.
However, if it has been less than six weeks since easy availability of vaccines in your area, some people who want to be vaccinated are still “in the process” and may be more concerned about whether the unmasked person approaching them closely (especially indoors) is vaccinated (no threat) or not (potential threat).
If you are fully vaccinated, it does not really matter if someone else is masked or not.
However, if you are still “in the process” of getting vaccinated, then you have to guess whether an unmasked person approaching you closely is vaccinated (no threat) or unvaccinated (potential threat). A masked person is either vaccinated (no threat) or unvaccinated (lower threat).
I’m fully vaccinated and am not masking up anywhere it is not explicitly required. I have been unmasked in several different stores, at my work, and around others whom are both masked and not. I’m taking advantage of being vaccinated and no longer having to wear a mask in the vast majority of situations.
Personally, I wouldn’t assume anything bcos I wouldn’t care.
I live in a town with a large Asian population and they were wearing masks before covid. They were also wearing tinted face shields while driving. (That I never understood as plain old glass blocks most all UV rays so if one is concerned about skin cancer…)
Regardless, folks should do what makes them feel comfortable.
Many vaccinated people are still wearing masks, either because it is still required in that state or county (California, Mass) or because they want to. It also may be because the store or restaurant still requires it.
Here there are several categories of businesses that still have to require masks: health care, schools, venues over 500 people, public transportation. Many businesses are still requiring, like Home Depot and Kroger.
I’ll admit I don’t understand the idea that some are posting about where you are fully vaccinated but you wear a mask anyway to be polite or supportive (two terms I’ve seen). I understand if you still aren’t comfortable and that’s fine but the other reasons are pure theater. If you are fully vaccinated you are not helping others by wearing a mask.
I intend to drop the mask everywhere it’s allowed when my state’s mask mandate goes away next week. I’ve been checking and most places I go have said that they won’t require a mask unless mandated by local rules. I can’t wait to lose these things for good.
@bluebayou, I saw a few days ago in social media pictures of the county Fair. (In Georgia) I saw only 2 people in the photos having I masked, both grown Asian men. I lived there for 28 years and you couldn’t pay me to go back there.
Are you sure? ‘They’ do not know for sure if people who are vaccinated could possibly be carriers, could be asymptomatic and shed virus. Small small chance. No harm in wearing the masks, so why not?
But I don’t think it is theater if someone asks me to wear a mask so I do it, whether that be a business or a personal friend.
For the next few weeks, there are still people who started the vaccine process relatively recently (when it became easy to get vaccine) but have not yet completed the process. Such people have no way of telling whether an unmasked person approaching closely or sharing an indoor space with them is vaccinated. Hence, for the next few weeks (until about six weeks after easy vaccine availability), it is polite to continue “COVID manners” when in the presence of the general public (i.e. not people whom you know and who know and trust that you are vaccinated).
If in a situation where everyone knows and trusts each other (e.g. family gathering), then the practice would be different. The vaccinated people are not a significant threat to each other or the unvaccinated, but unvaccinated people from different households need to continue “COVID manners” with each other.
It seems like a recent trend to see considerateness as automatically “theater” or insincere. That makes me sad–that a number of folk would rather bend toward contempt rather than assume good will. People really CAN decide to keep masks on not as gestures of socalled “wokeness” but genuine feeling of keeping people who are vulnerable more at ease.
Here is the disconnect: you think by wearing a mask you are being considerate but I don’t think others who see you in a mask see it that way. When I see someone in a mask in a situation where is not required, I assume that either they are not vaccinated yet, or they are vaccinated but are still uncomfortable. I understand the uncomfortable issue. We’ve been wearing masks for so long that giving them up feels like taking a risk. But it would never occur to me that someone was wearing a mask because they were trying to be polite or considerate.
If I was not finished being vaccinated yet, I would personally be careful with wearing a mask but I wouldn’t expect others to wear one if it wasn’t required. After all, the ability to ditch the mask is a big motivator for getting vaccinated. The fact is that now that the rules are changing there will be many people out and about without masks. Some will be vaccinated, some won’t. A vaccinated person wearing a mask isn’t making an unvaccinated person safer.
Also disappointed to see the association of consideration with theater. Why the need to negatively assess the motives of those wearing masks? Why care so much about other peoples’ business. And the idea that in areas of available vaccines everyone who wanted to has been vaccinated for 6 weeks, that isn’t consistent with I see. Sure the CC types who are frequently online know all about the places to get the vaccines and were likely to be among the first in line but people who aren’t as connected to the internet (like the two workmen I have had in my house this week) have been slower to find out about where to get the vaccines.
My husband and I went to the ice cream store last night for the first time this season.
Michigan dropped their mask mandate last week.
The employees had masks on and they are required for employees. Another family was in there with 2 preteens and they had masks on. The kids were either not vaccinated or had one shot since that age group just opened up.
Since the people in the shop had masks on, we wore ours. It felt respectful to the employees and the customers. It didn’t cost us anything, it wasn’t uncomfortable and seemed like a small thing to do. The other people don’t know if we are vaccinated or are anti mask. We let them know that we respect their health imo
I did a quick Google search, and could not find any studies showing such a conclusion. I thought that the best way to convince the still hesitant is for their doctors to persuade them. The article only quoted one expert – there are many who are very concerned with the CDC’s new guideline re masks.
And then there is the group that will refuse the vaccine no matter what. Absent the mandate to mask, they will unmask for good now, and give the virus opportunities to further mutate.
Lest someone rush in to say why should the fully vaccinated care, there is no answer as to whether or not the fully vaccinated who get a mild or asymptomatic case could still become long-haulers. Does the lower viral load equate to no long-hauler syndrome? Until THAT is known, I will continue to mask while indoors unless I know for sure that everyone is fully-vaccinated.
And then there is the issue of the variants. Any of us who are older get lessened protection already from the vaccines, so I’m not interested in lowering the efficacy even further by chancing becoming infected with one of the variants. What is the efficacy against the Indian and Brazilian variants for the current vaccines?
I do not trust people to do the right thing re masks. The CDC’s new stance shows a stunning disregard for the people who are not yet vaccinated or fully vaccinated, the immunocompromised, the people who cannot for medical reasons get vaccinated, and for all of the children under 12 years old. Considering the political pressure the CDC has previously bowed to in order to open schools prematurely, I’m surprised the CDC appears not to care about all of the under-12 year olds now. But that’s just one example of hypocrisy from many places during this pandemic.
All the CDC did was to say that it is safe for fully vaccinated people to go without a mask in the vast majority of situations. Nothing in that guidance is untrue. I would personally rather have the CDC tell me the truth, which they did, than to come out and lie about reality. It is still within the states rights to set actual regulations for their citizens.